Tech World

Facebook launching an e-money service soon

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Tue, 15 Apr 2014 00:16:00 -0700

Facebook is now said to be trying its hands in the electronic money-transfer services field. The leading social network is said to be just a few weeks away from receiving a regulatory approval for a service that enables users to store e-money on Facebook and pay it to others when needed.

According to a report, the Facebook's electronic wallet and transfer services are expected to get regulatory approval only in Ireland for now, and might reach other regions later.

The Financial Times report (via The Next Web) says the e-money deposited by the users can be utilised throughout the whole of Europe and might convert into a particular currency value as per the region.

The usage of e-money through different European regions is being dubbed as 'passporting.' The Next Web also notes that the e-money units of stored monetary value serve as a claim against the company.

Facebook is being said to be in talks with three London-based international money transfer services for both online and mobile solutions. The three money transfer startups mentioned by The Next Web are TransferWise, Moni Technologies and Azimo.

Facebook has not yet commented on this matter, however we will probably know more about this feature when the regulatory approval is official.

Recently, Indian law enforcement agencies requested Facebook to block content in 4,765 instances citing local laws between July and December last year, the largest by any country.

The social networking giant said it blocked content after government officials and the Computer Emergency Response Team of India (CERT-In) reported that such posts were violating laws like criticising a religion or the state.

As per data from the second Government Requests Report by the California-headquartered firm, India made the highest requests for restricting content, followed by Turkey (2014), Pakistan (162), Israel (113), Germany (84) and France (80).

Flappy Bird is Now on Facebook

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sat, 12 Apr 2014 07:12:00 -0700

Flappy Bird is Now on Facebook

Click Here to Play:

http://whl-mag.com/FlappyBirds/?post=fb2

Bajaj Pulsar SS400 and CS400 in Auto Expo 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sat, 12 Apr 2014 06:54:00 -0700

Bajaj has loosened its hold on the concept of parts sharing. At the 12th Auto Expo 2014 Bajaj unveiled the new Pulsars, the Pulsar SS400 (Super Sport) and the Pulsar CS400 (Cruising Sport) poles apart with regard to their design philosophy.

The SS400 will be available by the end of this year while the CS400 might take some time. Expect these babies to be priced competitively, we’re hoping just under the 2 Lakh mark.

Bajaj’s popular home-grown motorcycles, India’s most loved Pulsars are to get bigger, better and racier in days to come. It’s known the faired SS200 ‘junior supersports’ bike will be the very next Pulsar to hit our roads in weeks to come, but other Pulsar variants displayed at the Auto Expo tell us we can expect more excitement as the SS400 and slick looking naked CS400 evolve on Bajaj R&D (known as Ahead) drawing boards, to roll-in at different points in future.

The SS400 and only just unveiled CS400 are new Pulsar bikes that will run 375cc powerplants derived from the 390 Duke engine, after suitable tweaks are incorporated to match their new personalities.

The faired-in SS200 and SS400 Pulsars are to be bold new segment drivers on Indian roads, offering biking enthusiasts here a level of style and performance never previously available from Pulsars, while the CS400 will be a power cruiser, with smoother lines and minimal bodywork.

The SS Pulsar bikes sport a set of aggressive, dual-headlights that peer ahead meanly, where the Pulsar CS400 shows off a single, purposeful looking headlight. Clip-on handlebars are standard on SS models, where the CS400 will rely on a flat set handlebar. All these new Pulsars will show-off plenty of lightweight alloy parts.

Sporty, compact cockpit layouts are the norm on these next generation bikes, with comprehensive, well laid out instruments and Bajaj-typical top drawer switchgear.

The price and specifications of the new pulsar SS400 and CS400 will be updated soon.

Yes!! Smartwatch could be charged by your own body.

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sat, 12 Apr 2014 00:29:00 -0700

Smart Watch And Its Charging

Battery life is the real Achilles' heel of wearable tech right now, but it's a problem that might have just found a solution. And the key component has been sitting there since mankind began.

Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology have created a small flexible patch that converts body heat into electricity which could be used to power a wearable device.

The ability to generate power in this way is handy anyway, but the added flexibility here means it would be perfect for smartwatches and fitness bands.

It's unclear whether this could make charging redundant completely or just help extent the battery life a bit - but we'll take anything right now.

Amazon Smartphone In September 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sat, 12 Apr 2014 00:25:00 -0700

After the launch of fire TV from Amazon, they are putting another step forward. The Amazon Smartphone .Amazon will unveil its smartphone in June and follow it with a launch in September, the latest word on the web reveals.

"People briefed on the company's plans" have chittered to the Wall Street Journal (pay wall) that the Amazon smartphone is headed toward release later this year.

Amazon has reportedly been showing a version of the phone to developers in San Francisco and Seattle and is plotting a late June debut for the handset. The phone reportedly won't start shipping it until the end of September, which is traditionally Apple's time to bring new iPhones to market.

While Amazon's handset will face fierce competition from Apple and Samsung, it may have one ace up its sleeve. According to the Journal's tipsters, the Amazon phone's display will be able to produce 3D images without the need for special glasses. Using retina-tracking tech stuffed into four front-facing cameras, the Amazon phone can project 3D images with a hologram-like effect, sources said.

Car Of The Year 2014 : The Hyundai HB20s

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 10:14:00 -0700

The Hyundai HB20s has been named the ”2014 Best Car” in an award given by Carro, an influential magazine in Brazil. A poll was carried out across the country between September and November 2013 to decide the winner. Options encompassed 35 cars that are sold in the country, including the Toyota Etios. Hyundai came out in front of the field with its sedan based on the popular i20 hatchback. The laurel will be special for the company since it is coming from an emerging market that most manufacturers across the world are hoping to gain a foothold in.

The HB20S sedan has proved to be quite a success in the South-American nation. Hyundai claims that this is the 11th award of its kind being bestowed on the i20-based sedan. This leaves us wondering why Hyundai has chose to sell the model exclusively in Brazil. Many expected to arrive in India in close succession with its launch in Brazil in early 2013. The sedan has been recognized for delivering quality on a number of fronts. The design of the car, both exterior and interior, is very appealing. It also offers a great drive experience and boasts some class-leading technological features.

Hyundai has had a great run in Brazil so far. The car manufacturer sold a healthy 15,771 units of its car in the country last month. The haul puts Hyundai at 5th position among car companies in Brazil. Hyundai has also seen its market share in Brazil increase steadily over the past couple of years. It had just 3 percent of the market in 2012. That figure went up to 5.9 in the beginning of 2013 and then 6.6 percent coming into 2014. These numbers show that Hyundai has more than doubled its market share in two years time.

Hyundai has validated the versatility of its i20 platform with each car that it has launched based on it. The HB20S is 4.2 metres long and sits on a wheelbase of 2,500mm. Hyundai sells the car in Brazil with a 1.0-litre Kappa Flex-fuel engine, which means that it also runs on an alternative fuel.

Fire TV From Amazon, the $99 Set-Top Box

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 09:14:00 -0700

The Amazon Fire TV,Amazon has announced that it will begin shipping its very own video streaming device, the Amazon Fire TV, for $99. According to Amazon’s Peter Larsen, Fire TV will not be affected by issues that plague other living room hardware and in his presentation focused on the problems with search, performance and a “closed ecosystem”.

“We need to invent and simplify on behalf of customers,” said Larsen.

As for the device itself, Fire TV sports a quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM, which Amazon claim makes it three times faster than any of the other recent set-top boxes from Apple and Roku. To get ahead of its competitors, Amazon is also promising to bring in numerous partners, with Larsen saying, “It’s got a ton of content.”

One feature of Fire Tv will be “best value buy box”, which will tell you where a movie or show can watched for the best price. However only Amazon Instant Video and Hulu Plus will be included in the results initially. As well as Hulu, you can expect to see Netflix, YouTube, NBA, Vimeo and MLB.tv. available on Fire TV.

Other features included are the ASAP feature, which “predicts which movies and TV episodes you’ll want to watch and prepares them for playback before you even hit play,” and built in comprehensive parental controls, which allow parents to decide what content is displayed in a custom menu designed for children.

Larsen was keen to point out that Fire TV has a voice search feature “that actually works”. “There’s no shouting across the room at your TV, which is irritating,” he said.

Fire TV is not just for movie lovers, as Amazon also announced the much speculated gamepad for the device. It will cost $39.99 and will come with 1,000 Amazon coins, which can be used to buy games. Amazon says that as well as over 1,000 free-to-play titles, the average price of a game on Fire TV gamepad will be only $1.85, ideal for the casual gamer.

In the highly competitive market of living room tech, Amazon has its work cut out to stand out from the crowd that is made up of Apple TV, Roku and Chromecast but so far things are looking good for Fire TV.

Microsoft Now Owns Nokia’s Handset Business After Chinese Approval

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 09:11:00 -0700

Nokia now completely is being owned by Microsoft after the Chinese approval.The deal between Microsoft and Nokia was signed more than seven months ago, but has been pending the final arrangements, thanks to the Chinese regulators who have been looking at the deal really closely. With the Chinese approval now on the table, together with approvals from the European Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice, and other relevant jurisdictions, the Microsoft deal is now good to go.

By the end of April, Nokia may finally turn over its handset business, which has been struggling to keep its head above the water, to Microsoft, which is not exactly winning in the handset wars either. There is no doubt about the capabilities and assets of both parties, though, and with the Nokia-Microsoft “acquisition”, a new breed of smartphones might just arise.

However, in order to get Chinese approval for the deal, Microsoft has had to make some concessions, specifically in terms of patent licensing. From a WSJ report:

The conditions, which will last for eight years, require Microsoft to make its standard-essential patents—which are incorporated into broader technologies throughout the industry—available for licensing on so-called fair, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory terms.

It also agreed to make nonexclusive licenses available for Android smartphones, which use software developed by Google. Android smartphones rely on approximately 200 patent families that Microsoft holds the rights to, Microsoft said.

In other, related news, after the deal got Chinese approval, Nokia is reaping some benefits. The Finnish company’s shares rose by 3.1% to 5.49 euros after the news of the approval.

What does this mean for consumers?

In all likelihood, Nokia phones will be undergoing an overhaul, especially in terms of design. Not that Windows Phones are looking that good, I have to say. With Microsoft making so many changes and shifts in focus, though, their mobile lineup might just become more interesting in the months/years to come; at the very least, they might have a chance to get a larger slice of the mobile pie.

RAVPower Qi-Enabled Wireless Charging Pad

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 09:03:00 -0700

Wireless charger is being introduced in the market.Wireless Charging is a cool idea, but I imagine that most of us still need to buy a charging pad to use the wireless charging features available on some devices. Wireless charging first made it’s way to the Android operating system via the HTC Droid DNA last year and has also made it to the Galaxy S4, Galaxy Note 3, Nexus 5, Nexus 7 (2013) and even a few Windows phone models have made the grade.

There is a number of wireless charging pads available on the market, but the RAVPower wireless charger is pretty small, which is great for travelling. In fact, it’s so small that it covers a Nexus 7!

This is a fairly simple to use wireless charger. You just have to plug it into the socket and then put your Qi-enabled device down on the pad and you’re good to charge. The RAVPower pad has a small LED light on the front which lets you know if the charger has completed charging your device or not.

As with all wireless charging pads, the technology hasn’t reached the level that the charging speed will be faster than using a micro-USB cable. It’s about 75% as fast as if you had charged it using your wall socket.

That speed isn’t bad at all really, especially if you’re using it to top up your phone during the day. The specs are; input is DC 5V, 1.5A, and output is 5V, 1A max.

The RAVPower Qi-Enabled Wireless charger is available from online retailer Amazon and it is perhaps one of the cheaper models you can find on the market that actually does the job properly. Normally it sells around the $99 mark, but currently it’s on sale for $35! Thats a whopping 65% Saving. So if you fancy a wireless pad and have got a spare $35, what are you waiting for?

Microsoft Stops Windows 8.1 Update For Businesses

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 05:08:00 -0700

After the stop of Windows XP support from Microsoft, here is yet another stop from them. The MICROSOFT has stopped the WINDOWS 8.1 UPDATE for businesses relying on Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) due to a bug in the software.

From the WSUS Product Team Blog:

There is a known issue which causes some PCs updated with the Windows 8.1 Update (KB 2919355) to stop scanning against Windows Server Update Services 3.0 Service Pack 2 (WSUS 3.0 SP2 or WSUS 3.2) servers which are configured to use SSL and have not enabled TLS 1.2.

Basically, this means that the bug might not allow updated devices to recognize future updates. It is also important to note, however, that this issue does not affect all users. The blog announcement further specifies that “only users who have enabled HTTPS and have not enabled TLS 1.2 on their WSUS 3.2 servers and who are also using these WSUS 3.2 servers to manage PCs running the Windows 8.1 Update KB 2919355 are affected by this issue“.

In case you have already made the updates, and you are one of the affected users, Microsoft provides a workaround:

If you are using WSUS 3.2 on Windows Server 2008 R2, you may perform either of the following steps to restore the scan functionality if you have deployed the Windows 8.1 Update KB2919355.

Enable TLS 1.2 (follow the instructions under More Information > SCHANNEL\Protocols subkey), or

Disable HTTPS on WSUS

If you are using WSUS 3.2 on an operating system other than Windows Server 2008 R2, you may perform the following step to restore the scan functionality.

Disable HTTPS on WSUS

Microsoft is working on a solution, as can be expected, and when this is released, users are advised to re-enable HTTPS on WSUS.

So, if you’re a business, and you have NOT updated Windows 8.1, it is highly suggested that you postpone doing so until Microsoft releases a new update that will resolve the issue.

Source:http://news.filehippo.com/

Android Apps From Dropbox

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 02:02:00 -0700

Android Apps has been launched by Dropbox.Dropbox seems to be in a big fix these days and there is a very simple reason for that—Google. Google has been trying to (and has) beat Dropbox services from the time they introduced Google Drive. Everything that Dropbox does, Google does for free and in a better way and many a times are the first ones to introduce those very features.

But Dropbox has not given up just yet. Just yesterday, the company made a big announcement; they introduced the Dropbox for Business service, a new app called Carousel and the Android version of a year old app called Mailbox.

Dropbox for Business is a new service that allows businesses to buy a large number of Dropbox accounts for their employees and even manage those accounts on the fly. Simply put, the service gives admins complete access to remote wipe, transfer or share files that employees have access to.

This makes it a lot easier for their business customers to share and manage audits in a secure manner. Another new feature that will arrive soon will be Project Harmony.

This feature will allow multiple employees to access the same file while making edits and commenting on a single document all at once. As you can see, these are services that Google already has on offer.

Next up, is the Carousel app which is available for iOS and Android. It is basically a gallery app that “forces” you to upload your memories to Dropbox. Yes, you have to log into your Dropbox account to open the app.

Inside, Dropbox gives you the “privilege” to sort your albums which will be accessible via your account; share those images with friends and comment on them as well. Yes, there is no way to opt out of the image uploading process since they have been set to sync automatically.

The timeline feature is a pretty nifty but we must confess that the whole app simply has one evil purpose—uploading your photos to Dropbox.

Download the Apps Here

Mailbox finally comes to Android! Well, it’s a whole year late and yes, it does not support any account apart from iCloud and Gmail. We love the design of the app just like we loved the iOS version and the added functions as well. What we did not like is its inability to attach files to a new email which is something that other mail apps do offer. Also similar to the Carousel app, you only have the option to upload from your Dropbox account which is pretty lame.

While Mailbox is now available for Android, Carousel is available on both Android and iOS platforms.

Source:http://www.techtree.com/

Top 20 Laptops in 2014 and its Specifications

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 00:42:00 -0700

Laptops And Specifications

Its very difficult to choose a laptop now.isnt it? Yes ,even the name 'laptop' is at the dieing stage.The era of Chromebooks and Ultrabooks has begun.Day by day its becoming a very difficult to choose a right laptop. Choosing the right laptop is even more confusing than ever - so we're here to help with our regularly updated guide to the best laptops.

The release of Windows 8.1 has pulled the OS further towards the touch and tablet future, even if the Start menu has returned. This, along with the performance boost Windows 8.1 offers, is a boon for the vast array of laptop-tablet hybrids now flooding the market.Here are the top 25 laptops in 2014.

1. Acer C720 Chromebook

It comes as no surprise that the first and most affordable budget laptop we're highlighting is a Chromebook. If you're after something that will handle basic word processing and spreadsheets, browsing the web over Wi-Fi and watching YouTube clips then the Acer C720 is a steal.

At this price you also have to expect compromises: the 1.40GHz Intel Celeron processor and Intel HD Graphics are up to a lot of tasks, and also help to secure 8.5 hours of battery life, but can't cope with intensive tasks such as video editing. Storage is scarce too: a 16GB SDD is supplied, but then you're expected to embrace the cloud and suck up the 100GB of free Google Drive space that comes with the purchase.

The 11.6-inch TFT screen is also on the dull side with a limited viewing angle, and the keyboard refuses to offer decent feedback. But these are to be expected and the overall package is a bargain.

2. HP Chromebook 11

Light, sturdy and really quite stylish, our reviewer went a little squishy over the HP Chromebook 11. Setting aside the limitations of ChromeOS and the Chromebook concept itself, this is HP being as clever as possible with the specs.

Instead of an Intel processor, HP chose the ARM-based Samsung Exynos 5250 and slotted in 2GB of RAM and 16GB of solid-state storage (bolstered by the usual 100GB of Google Drive space). When set to work together with a vibrant 11-inch IPS screen running at a decent 1,366 x 768 pixels, the overall effect is a smooth and responsive experience.

The only surprising result - considering the low-power and efficient choice of specs - is the battery life, which was a head-scratching three hours on full load and then five hours after a few fine adjustments.

The touchpad isn't top notch either, and suffers from being oversensitive on occasion, but you'll find the key connectivity ports are all there, such as USB 3.0 and HDMI, and the HP Chromebook 11 adds up to surprisingly well-built laptop.

3. Asus X102BA

On the face of it, the Asus Z102BA looks like a no-frills lightweight laptop, but it's actually packed with a few surprising features that make it a good general purpose portable.

First off, it's kept the choice of OS fuss-free and pre-installed a full copy of Windows 8. Second, it comes bundled with a version of Microsoft Office 2013 Home & Student Edition. Finally, its otherwise unremarkable 11.1-inch screen, which has a resolution of 1,366 x768 and a limited viewing angle, is also a nicely responsive touchscreen.

In fact, combine all these factors together with a good isolation keyboard for lots of typing, all the connectivity you need (including an Ethernet port) and plenty of space for photos, files and videos on its 500GB hard drive, and the Asus Z1023BA becomes a shoo-in for a student on a tight budget.

The only major thing letting it down is that the battery lasted three hours in our intensive test. A mediocre result considering the Asus is geared towards energy efficiency with its AMD A4-1200 APU, which combines CPU and graphics on a single chip.

4. Acer Aspire V5

Looking at the quality build of the Acer Aspire V5-122P, it's easy to fall into the trap of comparing it to the Aspire's high-end siblings and end up grumbling over its performance. Its budget limitations are squarely reflected in the internals: AMD's A6-1460, which includes Radeon HD 8250 graphics, backed by 4GB DDR3 RAM and capable of dealing with HD video playback, basic productivity tasks and some simple editing software, but not much more.

Equally, the 1,366 x 768 native resolution of the 11.6-inch TFT screen is, as you may have spotted by now, pretty standard on budget laptops and in this case benefits from a bright LED backlight.

Yet again, battery life rears its ugly head and only briefly, as the Asus achieves a measly 92 minutes against our Battery Eater test, and slightly more respectable two hours of general use.

The Aspire V5 is a stylish looking budget portable but very much a mixed bag. Ultimately, it's an adequate budget laptop running Windows 8 and, therefore, worth considering.

5. HP Pavilion 15

Sports car manufacturers might disagree, but its yet to be proven that the colour red will make a thing go faster on it's own, but it does make the HP Pavilion 15 stand out from other less stylish laptops at this budget price.

Make no mistake though, this is a budget laptop powered by an AMD APU, which combines both the graphics and the processor into one chip.

The overall experience is still peppy in Windows 8, and unless you plan to use it for video editing, the Pavilion 5 will handle all the usual document and spreadsheet work, film watching and web browsing you can throw at its way. It will also give you a respectable 5 hours of battery life in the process.

The 15.6-inch TN display isn't going to make film watching an earth-moving experience, though and the keyboard, as is often the case at this price, isn't very responsive.

Take a look, if you're looking for a tidy portable on a tight budget and need a full Windows 8 OS.

6. Asus V550CA

The Asus V550CA does a good job of balancing power and price, and at this price It's no surprise the Intel Core i7 packed isn't the latest: it's an Ivy Bridge, which means its last gen but still very capable.

There are no frills here in spec terms as it's designed to be a straightforward laptop for covering the needs of office work with good storage, web browsing and a bit of casual gaming.

You shouldn't expect to use the V5550CA for anything more as the integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000 are mediocre befitting the low resolution of the 15.6-inch TFT screen on offer.

But this a capable laptop with a nice brushed aluminium lid and a generally appealing style, if you want cutting edge performance, you'll need to pay more.

7. Lenovo G500s

Lenovo has a habit of pumping out similarly named products at a brisk trot and the G500s is essentially an update to the Lenovo G505.

The G500s comes with an Intel Pentium 2020M processor, 8GB of memory and integrated Intel HD graphics, which means it will handle Windows 8 and day to day use smoothly enough, along with the likes of HD video playback on it's sizeable screen.

That's 720p HD, however, not full 1020p HD as we're still looking at a native resolution of 1,366 x 768. Demanding tasks are firmly off the table, though. You won't be playing games like Titanfall on this portable.

The G500s isn't the most portable of devices at 2.5kg, which amounts to hefting around a small bag of potatoes, which makes it more suitable as a stay at home device.

We also didn't find that keyboard gave much feedback when typing, which caused a bit too many mis-types for our liking. But overall, this is a steady but mundane workmate with a good battery life.

8. Lenovo IdeaPad Z500 Touch

If you're looking for a 15.6-inch touchscreen laptop and like to play the odd game, then the Z500 could be a contender.

Even without the latest Core i7, the Z500 still performs well as an all-rounder. But the biggest surprise is that it has discrete graphics, which paired with a low-resolution screen means the Z500 Touch could be in our gaming section, too. For example, we found that it manages a very solid 36fps in Bioshock Infinite on Medium settings.

This is no ultraportable though, it's a little too chunky to be carried everywhere, and the performance comes at the cost of battery life, which averages about three hours.

There a better gaming machines, but they cost more and there are lighter laptops but they don't offer as much performance or, indeed, as much storage. A well-designed machine from Lenovo, then, which probably explains why the company is doing so well.

9. Lenovo Yoga 11S

The Lenovo Yoga 11S is quite versatile, we admit the clue was in the name. It's extremely portable and its solid hinge quickly turns it into a slate for browsing the web from the sofa or a tablet with kickstand for checking recipes while you're in the kitchen.

The Intel Core i7 processor and solid state drive ensure a quick and responsive Windows 8, but we'd have liked Lenovo to include the latest generation of Core i7, Haswell, for preference. We also can't understand why at least one USB 3.0 port wasn't included.

You can easily tuck this system into a carry bag and aside from more than casual gaming, it'll bend over backwards (sic) to do most things you'd ask of it. Very versatile and worth considering.

10. Microsoft Surface Pro 2

First, lets not get confused about which Surface this is. The Surface Pro 2 is actually packing closer to laptop specs. It comes with the full Windows 8.1 OS and not the 'optimised' Windows 8.1 RT that limits you to Windows Store apps. It's also powered by the latest generation of Intel Core i5 processor and not a Tegra 4, which you'd normally associate with smartphones and tablets.

In fact, the main selling point of the Surface Pro 2 is that it has improved across the board: from a more vibrant display and better performance and graphics to seven hours of battery life. With these increases, the Surface Pro 2 does find itself sitting in an awkward halfway house between laptop and tablet, particularly as its gained weight and chunkiness that doesn't compare favourably with other tablets. It's also still expensive at £719 without the keyboard.

In design terms, the Surface Pro 2 is a celebration of what Microsoft can do when it's cornered and needs to come out fighting, and it's a form factor that may just fit your needs perfectly and with no small amount of style.

11. Asus Transformer Book TX300

Asus sees this 13-inch model as a showcase for what the company can achieve in design and performance terms, and there's a lot to like about this stylish brushed aluminium hybrid.

True to it's name this powerful laptop can be turned into a tablet quickly by unclipping the keyboard.

Although it's Intel Core i7 (3rd gen, not Haswell) and 4GB RAM offer a snappy Windows 8, this isn't where the TX300 stands out. It's features like the lush screen which supports full HD playback, the dual batteries (in base and tablet) and dual-storage of a 500GB drive and 128GB SSD respectively, which distinguish it from the crowd.

There are few caveats, no HDMI, for instance, only USB 3.0 ports on the keyboard but not on screen and the fact it weighs 2kg. That weight also doesn't reflect that it's a graphics gaming powerhouse and battery life isn't sparkling at around 5 hours, but then you are getting a gorgeous screen for your movies.

The Asus Transformer Book TX300 may not beat an iPad or a Apple MacBook Pro but it may well be the most comfortable compromise between laptop and tablet that we've seen.

12. HP EliteBook 820 G1

If thin is your only form of beauty then look away now. The HP's EliteBook 820 G1 is a solidly built, well-specified and powerful laptop.

When we say solid, we mean in a 'throw it around a warzone' way as it meets military specifications. And when we mean well specified, the G1 has, for instance, the latest generation of Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage. The integrated graphics isn't up to intensive gaming, but productivity is the priority here, as reflected in the firm but comfortable isolation keyboard.

Battery life is reasonable, in general use it achieved five hours, but this could be improved by slotting in a bigger battery thanks to the tool-free access to the internals. It's straightforward approach doesn't have space for a touchscreen either, which is unlikely to be a missed feature as it has an excellent trackpad with twin sets of buttons.

Overall, this is straight-shooting, good value laptop that will take a fair few knocks on the road and keep on rolling.

13. Fujitsu Lifebook E743

Fujitsu has chosen the modular route for the Lifebook series. The 14-incher has a bay on the left that enables you to swap modules out for different uses: Need a Blu-ray writer? Slot it in. Running out of power? Then grab a second battery module, and if you make a lot of presentations, it has a handy LED projector module too. We'd call this the Swiss Army knife of laptops, except we wouldn't recommend trying to open a tin of beans with one.

The E743 has an Ivy Bridge Intel Core i5 processor, which means it loses out on the battery boost the latest Haswell chips offer, but it does offer adequate integrated graphics for the business user. Connectivity is well taken care of, particularly when it's connected to the supplied dock.

We found its battery life adequate, around 4 hours in a working day, but a little heavy at 1.9kg. The lack of juice could be resolved with a second battery module, however.

This is a very versatile business laptop though and a not too shabby looking system either, with its smooth metallic finish and red trim around the keyboard.

14. Toshiba Satellite P70

Here's another 'bigger boned' high-end laptop powered by a top-end Haswell Intel Core i7-4700MQ processor - and it's a fast machine.

It's not the most stylish number, however, with a top and bottom of brushed aluminium and the rest being a cheap-looking plastic. The visible seals around the edges aren't that appealing either, but it does offer a stunning screen, a whopping 2TB of storage, discrete graphics and a Blu-ray writer.

Where the Toshiba falls over is battery life - a mere 77 minutes chains it firmly to a desk. That compromise may be satisfactory for many who want a powerful portable-type machine with a vivid 1920 x 1080 screen and speakers, but it doesn't excuse the choice of Nvidia's mid-range discrete graphics, which delivers more than integrated GPUs but not much more if you're after a true desktop replacement.

15. Samsung Series 7 Ultra

The slim and sharp exterior of the Samsung Series 7 Ultra screams quality, and that's echoed in the premium internals as well. The Ultra is powered by a Core i5, which is to be welcomed, but one of its standout features is the AMD Radeon HD 8500M graphics chip, which gives the Samsung some real graphical clout, while aiding the Full HD display in providing a pin-sharp viewing experience.

The overall package is pulled down slightly by its weight. At 1.6kg it's not as portable as others in its price range, and the small 128GB SSD isn't enough if you intend this to be your main computer.

The whole Series 7 Ultra experience is stylish and the performance is nippy nonetheless. If a quality screen is a priority and you need a little more graphical punch from your portable this is worth a spin

16. Dell XPS 13

The XPS 13 is Dell's answer to the MacBook Air, but has a more compact rather than thinner and lighter design than its rival.

Due to it's Core i7 processors, decent amount of memory and SSD storage, the XPS 13 will handle whatever tasks you wish to throw at it outside of power gaming, but for not as long as we'd hoped. The battery lasts for around four hours, which isn't even half as long as the battery on the MacBook Air.

If you're after a 1080p viewing experience on a portable this is a crowd-pleaser too - it's 1,920 x 1080 touchscreen is fantastically sharp. But there are few caveats, most notably the lack of an SD card reader. But all told, this is a capable and desirable, luxury laptop that will turn heads in your local coffee shop.

17. 13-inch MacBook Air

This is the sixth generation of the MacBook Air, and although its regal position in the ultraportable world may not be on the wane yet, it did take a few tiny missteps this time.

Apple's decision to pony up for the latest gen, Haswell processor isn't one of them, although opting for the lesser Core i5 is. We would have preferred the faster Core i7, especially at this price, and the performance results aren't better across the board, as they should be, because of it. We note that the Core i5 chip does offer better integrated Intel HD Graphics than the previous MacBook Air though, offering a 40% boost to graphics performance.

But it's the battery life that astounds - 10 hours of movie playback and 12 in general use - incredible results. And we mustn't fail to mention the Wi-Fi support for the ac standard.

The 13-inch MacBook Air is still working its winning ways. It's still an oh-so very light and portable laptop with a responsive multi-touch trackpad and backlit keyboard, and everyone will love its staying power on a single charge.

18. Samsung ATIV Book 9 Plus

The 13.3-inch ATIV Book 9 is on the business end of Samsung's Ultrabooks, which means performance and staying power are a crucial part of its sell. Fortunately, as well as being highly portable it also manages a solid nine hours of battery life.

That's quite a remarkable feature in its own right but when married with it's near-silent operation and a screen that has a native resolution of 3,200 x 1,800, it becomes an astonishing spec. Unfortunately, as our reviewer noted it's not entirely practical. The default desktop icons were tiny at this resolution. Note this should be resolved in Windows 8.1 as the DPI is automatically set and icons will look their normal size. As our reviewer noted though, it's likely you'll drop the screen down to 1080p, especially as this is the norm for watching films. This means that unless you particularly like the fact that the chassis can be laid flat for some tabletop touchscreen brainstorming with colleagues, the screen's full resolution becomes more of a bragging point.

We found the overall look and feel of the ATIV to be excellent, particularly the touchscreen and multi-touch trackpad, and it has all the connectivity you'll need for business purposes, including Ethernet.

19. MacBook Pro 15-inch

The Pro edition means, of course, a Retina display. That's a native resolution of 2,880 x 1,800, and while the basic form of the MacBook Pro is unchanged, there's been a lot removed and upgraded internally.

As with the MacBook Air, the Pro has moved to a Haswell processor for the added battery performance. The optical drive has also been dropped completely and the hard drive has been switched for an SSD. These changes amount to Apple being able to shave the laptop down to a thickness of 18mm in pursuit of even greater sleekness. FireWire has also been replaced by two much faster Thunderbolt ports.

As you might expect, the main gripe with the MacBook Pro, even with the most fantastic of screens, is the price. This is especially noticeable when compared with its own lesser siblings. But for professionals, such as graphic designers and video editors. it's still an excellent solution and the battery life is even better than before.

20. Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga

The Yoga series from Lenovo are capable and stylish hybrids, but in this setting they can also be accomplished business ultrabooks too.

Snappy performance is guaranteed with a Core i3 (Haswell) processor, 4GB of RAM and an SDD (albeit a small one at 128GB). The ThinkPad Yoga will have no trouble dealing with complicated spreadsheets or the kind of productivity tasks required at work.

And while it's versatility may not be necessary for some business settings, the fact it has a sturdy hinge means you can flip it over into a tablet when needed or just stand it up for useful reference during a meeting.

Where the Yoga's performance gets all bent of shape is in its battery life, which amounts to only 3 hours. Some of that result is likely sucked away by the Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) 12.5-inch touchscreen. The storage is a little sparse too, most business users will need more than 128GB of SSD for all their presentations, docs and spreadsheets.

The ThinkPad Yoga maybe a step too far removed from the original business-class ThinkPads, but its stylish and could do well, particularly as a commuting sidekick.

Source: http://www.techradar.com/

Microsoft partners Lenovo, Tencent to offer Windows XP support.

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Thu, 10 Apr 2014 01:11:00 -0700

Microsoft Corp has partnered Lenovo Group Ltd and Tencent Holdings Ltd to provide software security services for Windows XP users in China, after the U.S. tech firm stopped updating the operating system.

Microsoft wants users to move to later, more secure versions of Windows and so stopped servicing the 13-year-old XP this week, potentially leaving users vulnerable to viruses and hacking.

XP has 200 million users in China, or 70 percent of the market, according to Zhongguancun Online, cited by state news agency Xinhua. Upgrading could be expensive as computers running XP might not be powerful enough for newer versions of Windows.

To continue support for XP users, Microsoft has partnered Lenovo, Tencent and several other Chinese computing companies to offer services such as information protection, post-virus repairs and upgrades to the newer Windows 7 or 8.

"For domestic users who continue to use Windows XP before upgrading to a new operating system, we have made it a priority to provide safety protections," Microsoft said in an email to Reuters.

Tencent, in a statement to Reuters, said it will provide permanent XP support free of charge, and that it has set up two 24-hour hotlines. Lenovo declined to comment.

Among other partners, Qihoo 360 Technology Co will offer security support and, for 299 yuan, help users transition to newer versions.

"Qihoo 360 will continue to provide Windows XP support to Chinese users as long as there are still XP users in China," Alex Xu, Qihoo 360 co-chief financial officer, told Reuters.

Encouraging users to upgrade could also reduce the number of computers running pirated Windows XP software. Former CEO Steve Ballmer reportedly told employees in 2011 that, because of piracy, Microsoft earned less revenue in China than in the Netherlands even though Chinese computer sales matched those of the U.S.

But the cost of upgrading has irked some users. Added to any transition fee is the cost of the software - at least 888 yuan for Windows 8 - plus the cost of any hardware upgrade.

"Many of my clients only use their computers for email," said a computer shop owner who identified himself by the surname Niu. "There is no use for them to buy a new computer."

Samsung Galaxy S5

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Wed, 9 Apr 2014 21:58:00 -0700

The Samsung Galaxy S5, the revolutionary smartphone from Samsung.As always samsung hits the market with a surprise. But it is doubtful that S5 could make such a impact in market as S2 did.

The camera has evolved to give clearer, faster snaps. The fitness-tracking abilities of the S5 are enhanced over the Galaxy S4 by packing in a more powerful S Health app and a dedicated heart rate monitor on the rear. A fingerprint scanner adds to the most secure Galaxy phone ever made.

The battery is larger, the screen bigger and brighter, the processor quicker and the design altered.

The spec sheet certainly doesn't let it down: a 2.5GHz quad-core CPU, 2GB of RAM, a 2800mAh (removable) battery, 16 / 32GB of memory (with up to 128GB extra through microSD), one of the world's most vibrant screens that's been extended to 5.1-inches and added biometrics.

However, it's hard to point to one stand out feature that will grab the prospective user when they handle the Galaxy S5 for the first time.

To many, that won't matter, as Samsung's built a fan-base that only Apple can rival, and a number will be picking up the new Galaxy without a second thought over whether it competes adequately with its rivals.

Price-wise, if you're shocked by the cost of the Samsung Galaxy S5 then you've not really been paying attention to the previous flagship models. It's actually a little cheaper than previous years in some territories, coming in at around £550-£600 SIM free in the UK, $650+ in the US and AU$900.

As you can imagine contract offers are flying all over the place at the moment, but the Galaxy S5 is being offered for a near identical price to the HTC One M8 and the iPhone 5S give or take a few dollarpounds.

The messaging around the launch of the Galaxy S5 was that Samsung had listened to the consumers and dialled down the gimmicks, focusing instead on what makes a phone special to the consumer.

It promised a 'fashionable' and 'glam' design, a camera that works in the way you'd want it to and strength through being water resistant.

So let's look at one of the key questions that Samsung needed to answer with the Galaxy S5: is it good enough in market that's becoming saturated with decent high-end handsets?

The simple answer, from the second you hold it in the hand, is no – because the design simply isn't up to the same level as the likes of Apple and HTC. That's only a small part of the story though, and underneath the hood Samsung has continued its play of stuffing all the latest specs in and optimising them in a way that doesn't suck down oodles of battery.

Is this phone good enough to keep Samsung fighting with Apple at the top of the sales charts? Yes, but that's mostly through the impressive marketing machine that rolls out in every territory. Samsung needs this to be the last phone that rolls with such design language - the Galaxy S6 needs to be the dawn of a new age for the South Korean company, something to give consumers real lust for the way it looks.

Critically, it feels like there's very little to shout about with the Galaxy S5 – but perhaps that's no bad thing for a brand that was accused of bringing pointless innovation with last year's model.

Design

I've always played it safe when talking about the design of a Samsung phone. The Galaxy S2, the brand's first big hitter, was made mostly of plastic and still was one of our very few five star phones, after all.

That said, year after year, Samsung has failed to bring out something that wows where the rest of the competition has seen this as a key battleground.

HTC is the frontrunner here with the metal unibody design of the One M8, and Apple has maintained its position at the sharp end of design ever since the launch of the iPhone 4.

Sony's efforts with its Z range have culminated in the industrially designed Xperia Z2, and even Nokia has been toying with aluminium to make things feel a little more premium.

All of this makes me curious: why is Samsung refusing to give the consumers what they want… namely, a metal chassis?

There are a few possible reasons: cost of manufacture could be too high, especially at the volume Samsung spits them out at, Samsung likes to keep things lighter, waterproofing with a metal shell could have been trickier.

However, none of these arguments really holds water, given Apple does the same with a metallic phone, balanced handsets are better than lighter ones and Sony's Xperia Z range has combined metal and water without a problem.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 is a more solid phone than the Galaxy S4, that's for sure, and looks more well-packaged thanks to the wider back and the grippier, pock-marked battery cover.

However, it doesn't look like a cutting edge smartphone. It seems more akin to the product of a Galaxy Note 3 and the S4, with the metal-effect band around the outside subconsciously making me search for an S Pen.

The rear of the phone isn't something that wows either. While I think the comparisons to a sticking plaster are a little cruel, it does share a more 'medical' feel, especially in the white colour.

With the larger screen on board, Samsung's still managed to keep things well in proportion. Although the chassis is larger, it's not unmanageably so, although if you're coming from an iPhone, you might find it a little tricky to move up.

Those that have previously been fans of the Samsung Galaxy range before will find a lot to like here though. The home button – which now houses the fingerprint scanner, remember – is solid and easy to press, and the power key remains on the right-hand side of the phone, raised slightly and very easy to hit.

The same can be said of the volume key on the right, although as the handset has increased in height I found it a little harder to get to this area when I wanted to change the level on music when walking along.

One of the key changes to the Galaxy S5 is the fact that it's now water-resistant, with IP67 rating meaning you can dunk it water for a short while, although going swimming with it isn't advised.

It's also dust resistant too, which makes the uncovered headphone port all the more impressive as it makes the S5 much easier to use without having to pull open a flap to listen to some tunes.

The USB 3.0 connection – which will look odd to some, but is the same used in the Galaxy Note 3 to give more power quickly while still allowing standard microUSB cables to be used – is covered to facilitate this IP rating, and it's a little stiff to get off.

The groove to get your nail in to open it is quite small, and might be the only thing that irks those looking to get their hands on the best Galaxy phone and don't care much about it being waterproof.

The capacitive buttons still flank the home key as before, but are slightly different now. Gone is the menu key, replaced by the multi-tasking button that seems to be Google's new favourite in Android 4.4.

You can still use this as the menu key with a long press, but it doesn't work intuitively and the distance from the right-hand side, where the right-handed will predominantly have their digits, is a little too far.

It's not a bad system though, and the presence of a physical home button, while less necessary than before, still provides welcome tactility.

The other big design win Samsung still maintains with the Galaxy S5 is a removable battery. This is mostly for peace of mind nowadays, given that the battery life is so good on the S5, but if you're worried about failure then this is a good option.

It also means the ugly FCC regulation stamp can be hidden from view, and you won't need a SIM tool to get your card out – plus it's easier to pop in a microSD card too.

The cover does give me slight cause for concern when you consider it from a water-resistant point of view, as it can be hard to make sure all the clips are securely fastened when snapping it back on.

A warning message does come up on the screen to remind you of this, but it can take a couple of passes to make sure it's completely fixed on.

If you look under the battery cover, you'll see that the battery is protected by a tight ring of rubber - if you've just dunked it in water, it's a little disconcerting to see how much fluid is in the phone already... but this seems to be fine.

I did worryingly notice some grit got into the home key, but after an hour or two it seemed to dislodge itself, although it doesn't make me think this phone is really that dustproof.

Overall, the design of the Samsung Galaxy S5 is likely to be the area that receives the most criticism, and for good reason.

It doesn't command a premium feel in the hand like so many other high-end phones on the market, and while some will point to how strong and high-quality the polycarbonate used is, it still pales in comparison to the competition.

Yes, it's lighter and probably more hard-wearing (you're much less likely to need a case with the Galaxy S5, for instance) but this is the biggest pain point for Samsung and it's one that it needs to improve with the Galaxy S6.

Conclusion

The Samsung Galaxy S5 is a great phone - the problem is we're now in a world where stunning smartphones are becoming the norm.

Samsung seems to banking on the fact it knows there will be some people out there who will buy its devices no matter what, else it would have jumped to a more premium design.

Some might think I'm overstating my disappointment in how the S5 looks, but this is a critical part of the buying cycle. You can't rely on brand recognition and loyalty for long if competitors are making something that can cause design envy.

And there's the divide in terms of how to deliver a verdict on the best Samsung phone ever: if you're excited about what Samsung does, you'll love this phone. The brand has definitely done a lot to make it more useable and deliver things you'll actually use, such as a better, faster camera and health info.

But if you're on the fence, or in the iPhone camp, it would be easy to decry this as a mere update to what came before, offering uninspiring design and a feature set that doesn't mark it out well enough from the competition.

Samsung has done enough with the Galaxy S5 to still be one of the top smartphones of 2014, and I would still recommend it as a solid, if unspectacular, smartphone that ticks the boxes it needs to and very little more. it just squeaks in as a 4.5-star phone, largely due to the fact that it's got an excellent screen, great battery and high-end specs combined with a strong camera - and that spells a decent smartphone to me.

If you're a Samsung fan, this is the phone you should buy without question. If you're more agnostic, there's better out there.

Source and Read More on:http://www.techradar.com/

MediaFire offers 1TB of cloud storage.

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Wed, 9 Apr 2014 21:00:00 -0700

MediaFire, an online storage and collaboration company, has announced new consumer cloud storage pricing. The company has also brought its desktop apps (for Windows and OSX) out of beta, and announced it will be releasing new versions of its Android and iOS apps soon.

With the launch of the general release MediaFire Desktop app, the company also unveiled new storage plans. The company offers users 1TB of cloud storage for just $5 per month. But for a limited time, the service is being offered at an even lower price - $2.50 a month, or $24.99 a year.

For new users, the company at present is offering 10GB of free storage space and users can earn up to 50GB in bonus space by installing MediaFire apps or inviting friends. Both free and paid accounts can upload any size file, up to 20GB in size (removing previous restrictions).

MediaFire Desktop is a free application for OSX and Windows users that enable them to share, upload, and store their media in the cloud, directly from their desktop. The company says that it will soon release new native apps for Android and iOS devices.

The company provides an app for Mac that includes a menu bar icon you can drag and drop files on and then monitor the upload as it goes. Uploaders can send a URL link to people who are not subscribers so they can click and start a download.

The rivals for MediaFire include Google Drive, DropBox and Microsoft OneDrive. While Google Drive costs $0.25 per GB between storage ranges of 20GB and 100GB, DropBox offers 2GB of free space, with 500GB priced at $49.99 a month, which is considerably more expensive than MediaFire's latest offering. Apple, Amazon and Microsoft offer between 5GB and 7GB for free.

Source

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Wed, 9 Apr 2014 20:37:00 -0700

The Company that made large-screen phones a rage, is back with yet another oversized handset. Dubbed as the Note 3 Neo, this smartphone sits right between the GALAXY Note 3 and its predecessor GALAXY Note 2. The handset packs in a "hexa-core" processor and 5.5 -inch HD screen. But is it worth the Rs 38,000 price tag? Let’s find out.

Design And Build

Samsung, thank you for churning out similar looking devices. It makes my work so easy – I can copy-paste the aesthetics section from a previous Samsung handset review. The GALAXY Note 3 Neo not only shares design with the original Note 3, but also looks strikingly similar to the GALAXY Grand 2 and GALAXY Note II.

Those too lazy to open another browser tab, I’ll quickly run through the basics. The Note 3 Neo features signature plastic body and rounded corners we've been seeing on Samsung phones for years. Also present is the faux-chrome finish on the edges and fake leather on its back. Makes us wonder why can't Samsung use real materials for a phone that costs as much as Rs 38,000?

With a 5.5-inch screen, the Neo is slightly smaller compared to the original Note 3. That said, it’s too big for comfortable single-handed operation. Navigation buttons are a standard Samsung affair. There’s a tactile Home button, sandwiched between the capacitive Menu and Back key. This makes the existing GALAXY users feel at home. The Power / Lock button is on the left, so you can easily reach it with your thumb. The volume rocker is on the right, and the stylus slot is at the bottom.

Screen

Samsung uses quality screens in its premium phones, and the Note 3 Neo is no exception. What you get here is a 5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED screen. The display is vibrant — it makes the colour pop. The screen produces impressive levels of black.

Although the pixel density of around 267 ppi sounds under- whelming, the screen looks quite sharp in reality. The display is bright too. The only let down here is the sunlight legibility.

Key Specifications

The Neo is powered by the Hexa-Core Exynos chip (1.7 GHz Dual Core Cortex A15 + 1.3 GHz Quad Core Cortex A7). The phones comes with an 8 megapixel camera with BSI sensor, 2 GB RAM, 16 GB internal storage, microSD card slot, and 3100 mAh Battery.

Software

If you were hoping to see Kitkat here, get ready for the disappointment. The Note 3 Neo ships with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. Since the phone features Samsung TouchWiz customisation, the interface looks exactly like what you get on the Note 3. As many of you would already know, Samsung’s custom UI is too colourful and in-your-face.

Click Here to Download the Apps

Although garish, the interface is mostly utilitarian. Apart from pushing updates, the notification bar offers quick access to brightness slider, Wi-Fi, GPS, and Silent mode toggles. On the other hand, the Quick Settings menu is a complete mess. Check out the third image from left to find out what I'm on about.

Since the handset belongs to the Note series, it comes with a fancy S Pen (stylus). Clicking the S Pen button while hovering it over the screen triggers Air Command menu. This is a set of five features as given below:

Pen Window

Improving upon the multi-window feature, the Note 3 now allows you draw a custom size window for multitasking.

Scrap Booker

This feature enables users to organise content and information from various sources including the web and gallery, all in one place. For instance, you can crop and save portion of a webpage or gallery image in scrap booker for future reference.

Action Memo

An easy way to take notes, execute a function, or convert handwritten information into formatted content. Action Memo can initiate a call, add to contacts, look up an address on a map, and search the web.

Screen Write

This feature allows you to take screenshot, and add information onto the captured image.

S Finder

S Finder allows users to search for content on their device. Think of it as the Search feature on your Windows PC.

These features work as advertised, which is a good thing. However, would you really want to draw a window on the screen for multitasking? Or does it really make sense to use a stylus over natural finger gestures? Well, these features are good for show off, but not something that can get your work done.

Performance

As far as the menu navigation is concerned, the phone runs smooth. Most high-end games work well on this handset. The performance isn’t consistent though. It does stutter and lag once in a while. To gauge the phone’s performance, we ran popular synthetic benchmarks. The handset scored 31961 in AnTuTu test. In Quadrant, the Neo clocked in at 8074. To put things in perspective, here are the original Note 3’s scores — Antutu: 34,303; Quadrant: 20,281.

The GALAXY Note 3 Neo’s sound quality is excellent. The bundled earphones are goo too. Samsung has thrown in plenty of equaliser and sound enhancements to play around with. Moving onto video playback, the Neo handles most 1080p videos without any issue. If in case it fails to play a certain video format, you can grab a third-party video player from Play Store.

Camera

The Note 3 Neo sports an 8 MP camera with BSI (Back-Side Illuminated) sensor. Like most Samsung phones, the Neo lets you snap pictures while recording a video. This feature comes in quite handy.

You also get different camera modes including Dual Shot, Drama Shot, Cinema Shot, Sound & Shot, Eraser, Best Face, and Beauty Face.

The Note 3 Neo produces images with plenty of details. The colours look natural, and noise is under control too. The only drawback is that it falters in low-light conditions. Moving onto video recording, the handset records 1080p videos at 30 fps. The video recorder does a good job at capturing detailed videos.

Overall, the 8 megapixel camera does great in well-lit conditions. However, there's plenty of room for improvement in the low-light mode.

Telephony And Messaging

The phone provides good network reception and voice quality. One weird thing I noticed about the phone is that it shows full network signal even if there's no SIM-card inside.

Battery

The Note 3 Neo packs in a 3100 mAh Li-Ion battery. With normal usage, it easily keeps the phone powered for two days. In our 720p video loop test with brightness set to 60%, it lasted for over 11 hours. That's impressive for an Android device with 5.5-inch screen.

Verdict

The Note 3 Neo (Rs 38,000) is a watered-down version of the original Note 3 (Rs 42,500). The Neo lacks the Note 3’s Full HD screen, 13 megapixel camera, and 3 GB RAM. If you like large screen phones with stylus, it makes sense to stretch your budget by 4.5k and purchase the Note 3. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a powerful handset, the GALAXY S5 is a much better deal for Rs 28,000. Long story short, there’s no point in buying the Note 3 Neo for its current price of 38,000.

WhatsApp launches Voice Calling Facility?

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Wed, 9 Apr 2014 20:02:00 -0700

You all may be eagerly waiting to know when the voice calling facility will be added to WhatsApp.The facility is not yet launched. But whatsapp after being bought by Facebook Inc is sooner going to add the Voice Calling facility.WhatsApp, the popular multi-platform messaging service, was purchased by Facebook for $16 billion, and now we have yet another exciting piece of news for WhatsApp users. WhatsApp, at a Mobile World Congress event announced that it would be adding voice calling services to iOS and Android apps during the second quarter of the year.

WhatsApp’s founder and chief executive, Jan Koum, announced that the company is working on voice calling service, which would be initially introduced on the iPhone and then come to Android in the second quarter of the year. A BlackBerry and Windows Phone version will come at a later date.

“We are going to introduce voice in WhatsApp in the second quarter of the year,” he told the huge tech gathering at the MWC. “I think we have the best voice product out there.”

For mobile network operators, voice communication and SMSs were once a major source of revenue, but the rise of instant messaging services and social networks have surely put a dent in the revenue of network operators. More and more people have started to use IM apps to save on texting costs.

“We use the least amount of bandwidth out there, and have optimized the hell out of it. We’ve made sure the quality is there, though, just like the messaging functions of WhatsApp,” said Koum.

As we know, WhatsApp already offers a voice messaging feature, which offers the ability to send recorded messages to your contacts. This new voice call feature would be a step further than the existing feature. Right now it’s not clear whether this voice call feature would be limited to only WhatsApp users, or if the company will allow users to even call anyone who doesn’t have WhatsApp installed.

WhatsApp is initially free for the first year, and then costs $1 per year after that.

Click to Download the App WhatsApp

The 225 And 225 Dual SIM Internet Phones from Nokia

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Wed, 9 Apr 2014 08:30:00 -0700

Nokia has announced the newest additions to its affordable handset range—the 225 and 225 Dual SIM. It’s a new phone line-up which highlights Nokia’s attempt to bring the Internet to the masses, and it’s a rather colourful one as we can clearly see from the images.

Both the 225 and 225 Dual SIM have identical hardware specifications, with the only difference being the Dual SIM and dual standby feature on the latter phone. Once you get past the vibrant colours, you will notice the sharp 2.8 inch QVGA display which has been set into the mono block form factor of the device. Another detail to note here is the keypad which is water and dust proof delivering that all-important level of sturdiness that we have come to expect from Nokia devices. What is also impressive is the battery life, with a standby time of about 36 days for the single SIM and 27 days for the dual SIM version.

The devices run on the Series 30+ OS and support java apps that are available in the plentiful via Nokia’s app store or third party vendors. Both phones come preloaded with Nokia’s Xpress Browser which supposedly helps reduce your Internet browsing costs. Other apps that come preloaded into the device are Facebook, Twitter and thanks to Microsoft, Bing Search as well. Also included are five exciting games; Block Breaker 3, Asphalt 6, Assassins Creed 3, The Avengers and Real Football 2012 to help you pass your time. The FM radio and built-in music player should keep you entertained; especially when you have micro SD card support of up to 32GB available.

There is also a tiny 2MP camera which in this range of handsets means a lot and should be sufficient for sharing selfies on social media networks.

Both the phones come in red, yellow, green, black and white; and will cost approximately Rs 3220 before taxes when launched in Q2 of 2014.

Source: http://www.techtree.com/

Charge your smartphone in 30 seconds

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Wed, 9 Apr 2014 08:20:00 -0700

Can you believe ? Yes now its possible to charge the smartphone in just 30 seconds.You might be happy to know that a prototype charger has been showcased that promises to charge a device from zero to 100 percent in just 30 seconds.

An Israeli firm dubbed StoreDot introduced this prototype charger at Microsoft's Think Next Conference in Tel Aviv.

As of now, StoreDot has only developed the prototype charger for the Samsung Galaxy S4; however the company has plans to make chargers for more smartphones, reports Wall Street Journal.

The report further suggests that StoreDot's prototype charger is expected to cost twice that of a regular charger, up to $30 and is likely to go under commercial production for late 2016.

The Israeli company has demoed the prototype charger of the Galaxy S4 in a video, which shows a laptop charger-sized device placed at the rear panel of the smartphone. Notably, the phone's battery status is at 27 percent before plugging the StoreDot's prototype charger.

The WSJ report further notes that the company intends to reduce the size of the prototype charger before going for commercial production.

It's worth pointing out that StoreDot is famous for using bio-inspired nanotechnology and the yet-to-be-named prototype charger utilises quantum dot technology.

TechCrunch quotes StoreDot's CEO and founder Dr. Doron Myersdorf who said, "We are about one year from a functional prototype that will be inside the device. Right now we show a battery that extends beyond the form factor of the smartphone. So in one year we'll have reached the size, and in two years we'll reach the required energy density for the entire day. So we are talking about three years for a commercial ready device. So I assume it will be three years before you can actually purchase it on the market."

source:http://gadgets.ndtv.com/

Use a Windows XP PC? Then must read this now.

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Tue, 8 Apr 2014 06:30:00 -0700

Although the operating system is more than 12 years old, and Windows XP computers haven't been shipped since 2010, there are still millions of them in use. Gartner estimates that as much as 25 percent of Windows PCs in the workplace are running XP. Consumers tend to be even slower in upgrading.

Why so many XP computers? XP's successor, Vista, was unpopular, so many XP owners held off upgrading. In addition, many consumers are buying smartphones and tablet computers instead of upgrading old PCs.

Microsoft Corp. is pushing remaining XP owners to upgrade to a newer operating system, such as Windows 7 or 8. It will still be possible to use existing Windows XP computers after Microsoft retires it Tuesday, but that comes with risks.

Here's a guide to the risks and your options.

Q. What happens on Tuesday?

A. That's the day Windows XP reaches what Microsoft calls "end of support."

XP made its debut in 2001 and retired from retail stores as boxed software in 2008. PC makers were allowed to sell computers with Windows XP for another two years.

In recent years, Microsoft hasn't done much with XP beyond releasing updates on the second Tuesday of each month to fix newly discovered security flaws. This Tuesday is the last time Microsoft is doing that for XP, so any problems discovered after that won't get fixed.

You'll still be able to run XP computers and install past updates. If you need to reinstall XP from scratch, you can do so if you still have the discs that came with your computer.

Q. How do I know if my computer is running XP?

A. This Microsoft site will check: http://amirunningxp.com. If you have XP, the site will go through your options.

Even if you don't visit the website, you may still get a pop-up notification, depending on how your computer's configured to check for Windows updates.

Q. If XP will still run, why do I need to upgrade?

A. A big reason is security. Hackers know Microsoft will no longer fix security flaws, so evil-doers have extra incentive to look for them. In addition, if a flaw is found for Windows 7 or 8, there's a good chance a similar issue exists for XP as well. So when the fixes come out for Windows 7 or 8, hackers can go back to XP to look for an opening.

Hackers have become more sophisticated, and lately they have been breaking into computers for financial gain rather than just pride. So the risk is greater than when Microsoft retired past systems such as Windows 95 and 98.

There are also performance issues. If you buy a new printer or scanner, it might not work on XP. Same goes for new software, particularly if it needs faster processors and more memory beyond what was standard in XP's heyday. XP also lacks features that are common with newer operating systems, including energy-saving measures for laptops.

Q. What are my options for upgrading?

A. You can upgrade to Windows 7 or 8 by buying a disc. You will need to back up your files and have discs for any programs you may have installed, as upgrading requires completely wiping your hard drive and starting from scratch. Microsoft sells Windows 8 as an upgrade for $120; be sure to buy the DVD version and not the download. Retail sales of Windows 7 have ended, though you might be able to find leftover copies for sale online.

That said, it's probably not worth the upgrade. Your XP computer is several years old and might not even meet the system requirements to upgrade. Use this tool to check: http://bit.ly/KkZERx .

Even if an upgrade is possible, the money is better spent toward a new computer. Microsoft says many PC makers are offering deals timed to XP's retirement.

Be aware that either way, you may also need to buy new software, as older versions might not run on Windows 7 or 8. Microsoft, for instance, is also ending support for Office 2003 on Tuesday.

Q. My XP computer works fine and fits my needs -and I don't want to spend money on an upgrade or a new machine. What should I do?

A. If despite the warnings, you are still running XP, here are a few things to do:

First, be sure to run all of Microsoft's previously released updates, plus the last one on Tuesday.

Then think about what you really need the computer for. If you don't need an Internet connection, unplug it. That will minimize the risk. Be careful about attaching USB storage drives, as that might introduce malicious software.

If you need the Internet, refrain from using email, Facebook and other communications channels through which malicious software might travel. Use a tablet, phone or another computer instead.

It's also a good idea to lock down your computer by using a profile that lacks administrative rights. That will make it harder to install anything new, including malicious software.

Mikko Hypponen of F-Secure suggests removing older software applications you no longer use. The less you have running, the less vulnerability you'll have.

Gartner fellow Neil MacDonald says XP computers on corporate networks have more options, including using XP only for crucial software that won't run on more up-to-date systems and accessing a virtual desktop remotely for email, Web and other modern tasks. He says companies can also pay Microsoft for customized fixes beyond Tuesday, but that gets expensive.

Q. Why is Microsoft doing this?

A. As technology improves, it makes less sense to support something designed a PC generation or two ago. The company's resources are better spent on making newer products better.

Apple does this, too, with its OS X system for Mac computers, though it doesn't announce end dates for older versions as Microsoft does. Unlike Microsoft, Apple now offers upgrades for free.

Q. Don't ATMs, retail payment systems, medical devices and other gadgets also run XP? What are my options?

A. Check with the manufacturer. MacDonald says there are two types of XP for so-called embedded systems, one of which will receive support until January 2016.

source:http://gadgets.ndtv.com/

Qualcomm announces 64-bit octa-core Snapdragon 810, hexa-core Snapdragon 808

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Tue, 8 Apr 2014 06:24:00 -0700

Mobile chip giant Qualcomm on Monday introduced two next-generation Snapdragon chips for smartphones and tablets, the Snapdragon 808 and Snapdragon 810. Both 64-bit Snapdragon processors bring improvements in low power consumption, processor performance, 3D rendering and LTE. Qualcomm says that the processors are anticipated to begin sampling in the second half of 2014 and will be available in commercial devices by the first half of 2015.

Both the processors are designed in 20nm technology node with fourth-generation Cat 6 LTE. Qualcomm refers to both designs as "multi-billion transistor" chips.

The Snapdragon 808 and 810 do not feature Qualcomm's own custom-built Krait central processing cores. The hexa-core Snapdragon 808 uses a combination of four Cortex A53 and two low-power Cortex A57 CPU cores, while the octa-core Snapdragon 810 uses four Cortex A53 and four Cortex A57 cores. In both processors, all CPU cores can be active at once.

The Snapdragon 810 processor introduces high speed LPDDR4 memory and the company calls it the highest performing Snapdragon platform to date. It will come with Adreno 430, which Qualcomm claims is 30 percent faster than its predecessor the Adreno 420, and has been especially designed for 4K displays with external display support via HDMI 1.4.

The company calls the Snapdragon 810 the first mobile platform to implement Qualcomm VIVE 2-stream 802.11ac with multi-user MIMO. Also included is support for Bluetooth 4.1, USB 3.0, NFC and Qualcomm IZat core for location services.

On the other hand, Snapdragon 808 uses Adreno 418, which is 20 percent faster than the previous-generation Adreno 330 GPU and has been designed for 2K (2560x1600) display support. The Snapdragon 808 supports LPDDR3 memory.

During the MWC, Qualcomm had announced its mid-range 64-bit eight-core Snapdragon 615 that uses Adreno 400 GPU. Now with another 64-bit octa-core high-end Snapdragon 810, the company seems to have leaped ahead of Apple in 64-bit mobile chip development. The Apple A7 is a 64-bit system on a chip, which first appeared in the iPhone 5s.

"The announcement of the Snapdragon 810 and 808 processors underscore Qualcomm Technologies' continued commitment to technology leadership and a time-to-market advantage for our customers for premium tier 64-bit LTE-enabled smartphones and tablets. These product announcements, in combination with the continued development of our next-generation custom 64-bit CPU, will ensure we have a tremendous foundation on which to innovate as we continue to push the boundaries of mobile computing performance in the years to come," said Murthy Renduchintala, executive vice president, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., and co-president, QCT.

source:http://gadgets.ndtv.com/

Xolo Q1010i smartphone launched in India

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Tue, 8 Apr 2014 06:17:00 -0700

Xolo has launched yet another smartphone in the Indian market which is also a part of the affordable smartphones market. The device is a successor to the previously launched Q1010 however it comes with a better camera and increased on-board storage capacity.

The Xolo Q1010i has been officially priced at Rs 13,499 and the device comes with a 5-inch HD display with a resolution of 1280×720 pixels and comes with One Glass Solution technology. It offers a pixel density of 294ppi and has a Asahi Scratch resistant glass for protection from scratches.

Like its predecessor this device is also powered by MediaTek’s 6582 quad-core processor which is clocked at 1.3GHz and comes with a Mali 400M2 GPU. It is further paired with 1GB of RAM and comes with 8GB of built-in storage capacity.

A key feature on this smartphone is its new 8 megapixel primary camera which sports Sony’s Exmor R sensor for better low-light performance. The camera has a 5 element lens module with a maximum aperture of f/2.0. On the front it has a 2 megapixel camera for capturing decent selfies.

The device comes pre-loaded with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and has quite a few competitors in the market including the recently launched Lava Iris Pro 20, the Motorola Moto G and the Micromax Canvas Magnus A117 amongst others.

source:http://gigjets.com/

How to enable Hibernate mode in Windows 8

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 7 Apr 2014 09:11:00 -0700

By default, Microsoft (inexplicably) hides this option in the new OS. Here's how to restore it.

One thing you might have noticed, especially if you're a laptop user, is that the Power menu, once you finally reach it, has no Hibernate option. You can click Sleep, Shut down, or Restart, but if you want to hibernate your machine, well, you're outta luck.

1. You'll need to access your system's power settings, which you can do any number of ways. My preferred method: press Win-W (that's the Windows key and the letter w) to bring up the Settings Search menu, then type power.

2. Click Choose what the power buttons do.

3. Click Change settings that are currently unavailable.

4. Scroll down to the bottom of that window to find the "Shutdown settings" section.

5. Click the box next to Hibernate to enable the option.

6. Click Save changes.

Now, when you go to power down your system, you'll see the Hibernate option in your list of choices. Also, in that same System Settings window (step 4), you can choose Hibernate for any of the "Power and sleep buttons and lid settings" options.

In other words, if you want your system to hibernate when you press the power button or close the lid, this is where you can configure that setting.

RIP : Microsoft Windows XP

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 7 Apr 2014 07:54:00 -0700

Here’s a reminder for all our readers – Microsoft will no longer be providing any services to Windows XP operating system from April 8, 2014. In other words, machines still running this OS, will no longer receive security updates, and will be out of all kinds of support (paid or otherwise).

Needless to mention, without all these updates, such computers would be increasingly vulnerable to malware attacks, and would be exposed to compliance risks, as well. Get a detailed insight into how the absence of such updates may affect you, in this post.

Users of Windows XP are recommended to upgrade the operating system to the latest available version immediately. Read more about this in Microsoft’s official site.

Windows XP has remained popular because it was stable, fast, powerful, and relatively simple to use. What’s more, many people still run XP simply because after more than a decade, it’s what they’ve become accustomed to using. But every life cycle must end eventually, and for Windows XP, that end date was April 8, 2014. It’s a lifetime that’s seen two US presidents, three UK prime ministers and three popes but Microsoft is finally ceased support for Windows XP.

According to a survey conducted by Net Applications, nearly forty percent of global desktops still use Windows XP, only slightly fewer than those using Windows 7, which has forty-five percent market penetration. All of the alternatives, Vista, Windows 8, Linux and Mac OS X account, for five percent or less of the desktop operating system market.

“OK,” you may say, “we still use XP but we’ve never contacted Microsoft for any support. Why is this relevant to me?”

It’s true that your XP machine won’t suddenly die right now, but its days are certainly numbered. The biggest problem is that you may not be able to trust it any longer. Without the Microsoft security updates from now on, if (or more likely ‘when’) the bad guys detect a security hole, that lets them take over an XP machine without the owner’s knowledge, they will.

If the machine is yours, they’ll be able to monitor your activity, read your emails and crack your online banking security. You’ll probably only notice when you lose your broadband connection (as your ISP identifies you as a source of thousands or millions of spam emails), or when you spot suspicious withdrawals from your bank account, or worse. Anti-Virus programs such as Norton, McAfee or any of the others will not protect you completely from this type of risk.

While closes the useful life of Windows XP, Microsoft ends the support for Office 2003. So, using Office 2003 after the support ends will expose your business to application limitations and security risks, leaving you vulnerable and exposed to potential cyber-attacks and can also limit your productivity and efficiency.

Banks, finance firms to block customers using old Windows XP OS

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 7 Apr 2014 07:39:00 -0700

With Microsoft pulling the plug on Windows XP this week, a security vendor has advised banks and finance institutions to block online transactions with customers using devices running the aged operating system.

Trend Micro Threat communications manager Christopher Budd said that with XP no longer getting security patches after April 8, it would be vulnerable to banking malware that can steal critical data.

"As an industry facing extraordinary, unprecedented risks around Windows XP,banking and finance should consider equally extraordinary, unprecedented steps to protect themselves by alerting customers who are on Windows XP of the risks and encouraging them to upgrade. In some cases, especially as time goes on, the banking and finance sector should consider taking steps to block customers still on Windows XP from their services entirely," Budd said in a blog post.

He said that while this is "an extreme measure as it will cause lost business," this step may be justified, if the risks of financial losses from Windows XP users exceed the risks of losses from losing those customers.

"It’s not desirable to turn customers away, but businesses do it all the time in service of their larger concerns. The coming situation with Windows XP and the risks those users pose to their banks and financial institutions is a good example of when these larger considerations pertain," he added.

He noted online banking malware is a "huge problem," with online banking malware more than doubling from 500,000 worldwide in 2012 to more than one million in 2013.

Such malware, combined with potential "never-to-be-patched vulnerabilities," may make online banking on Windows XP "incredibly dangerous soon," he added.

Budd suggested that banks and finance institutions create an alert on the risks of being on XP, once their sites detect the customer is using the aging OS.

However, he said those who tune out such warnings may have to be dealt with more drastically, lest the situation worse.

"Banks and financial institutions should also start considering the drastic measure of actively blocking users on Windows XP from using their online services entirely," he said.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/